Stoker



May 10, 1938. A. HUTTON 2,116,744

' STOKER Filed April 19, 1934 -/6 1 INVENTOR. I

ATTORNEY;

R 2 BY Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES STOKER Alfred Hutton, Erie, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Standard Stoker Company, 1110., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1934, Serial No. 721,305

7 Claims. (Cl. 110--10 1) This invention relates to the class of stokers that are particularly adapted to deliver fuel to a furnace through the lower portion of an opening in an upstanding wall thereof arranged to permit power and manual feeding of the fuel. More specifically it appertains especially to that group of stokers in the aforesaid class wherein the discharge mouth of the stoker does not fill the entire firing opening in the furnace wall but leaves a space above, which is closed by a firedoor movable to permit hand stoking and inspection of the fire.

It is, therefore, the main purpose of the invention to provide an improved stoker, of the group specifically described, arranged with a firedoor to occupy a minimum of space at the firing opening and to permit the use of smaller firing openings than heretofore employed.

More specific objects of the invention contemplate extending the firedoor in a recess in the upper end of the stoker conduit forward of the distributor head, and providing a hinged cover and novel fastening means in the roof of the stoker conduit.

Other objects and advantages reside in the arrangement and relation of the parts as hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central vertical sectional view through the upstanding wall of the furnace and its firing opening with the stoker and firedoor of this invention shown therein in similar section but taken at a point slightly to one side of the medial plane.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1;

' Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the parts shown in section in Figure 3.

The drawing illustrates the invention as applied to a locomotive and for convenience of description it will be so described. The terms front and rear or equivalent expressions will be employed with respect to the delivery of the fuel.

On the drawing, l represents the upstanding backwall of a locomotive furnace and the firing opening is shown at H. Fuel is delivered to the lower portion of this opening by the stoker indicated as a whole at S. Above the stoker and closing the upper portion of the firing opening there is provided the firedoor D, which comprises the vertically divided sections l2 and I3 movable laterally in opposite directions about the pivot pins l4, l5, journaled in the usual firedoor frame F. These pins and the mechanism for operating the door areof well known construction. It seems sufficient to say here that any mechanism may be used for opening the doors to expose the upper portion of the firing opening for hand fir ing or other purposes.

The stoker S, includes a riser conduit comprising the discharge box I6 and the roof portion or cover H, which is composed of the rigid end sections l8, Ilia, and the hinged central section IS. A forwardly opening mouth is formed by thedischarge box and its cover. In the lower portion of this mouth there is mounted a distributor plate 2| at the rearward side of i which there is a distributor head 22 apertured as at 23 for the discharge of pressure fluid over the plate.

As the fuel advances in the discharge box l6, it moves upwardly into the roof or cover portion I! where it assumes an angle of repose approximately along the line 24 and then spills or rolls forwardly and downwardly over the distributor head 22 onto the plate 2| in the zone of action of the pressure fluid from the apertures 23. The cover I! is positioned above the distributor head 22 a distance sufficient to permit the fuel to freely assume its angle of repose. It will be observed the highest point of the cover is at a level above the lower half of the firing opening I I and slightly to the rear of the'head 22 and that from this high point the cover slopes forwardly and downwardly to meet the lower end of the firedoor D at a point forward of and above the distributor head 22 and at a level below the upper half of the firing opening II. The firedoor extends into a recess or indentation in the upper side or roof of the riser conduit adjacent to the backwall II and its lower marginal edge is disposed at or preferably below the forward edge of the cover H. In this construction there is suificient space between the distributor head and the lower edge of the door to permit the fuel to spill onto the plate.

With this arrangement of the cover and the firedoor it will be seen the cover serves as a stop for the door against outward pressure such as may be caused by a boiler explosion and that the lower portion of the firedoor protects the upper portion of the cover from the heat of the fire. These are important safety features as the stoker operators are protected more fully against the danger of the firedoor being blown off its hinges and from being burnt by contacting a hot cover.

When the firedoor D is open there is ample space in the firing opening above the cover I! for inspection of the fire or for occasional hand firing. To provide additional space for access to the firebox the central cover section l9 may be thrown back about the hinges 26, thus creating an opening extending from the upper edge of the rear wall of the discharge box [6 to the upper marginal edge of the firing opening ll. The end sections l8, I8a will function as fuel supporting and retaining walls preventing the fuel from spilling out of the conduit when the central section is in open position.

When closed the central cover section l9 rests on the ledges 21, 21a extending inwardly from the end sections I 8, 3a., which are bolted as at 28 to the discharge box IS. The central section is latched to the end sections by the locking members 30 disposed forward of the normal angle of repose of the fuel.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the locking memb-er 30 consists of -a handle 31 having a hooded stem or shaft 32 journaled in the cover section l9. A latch- 33 is mounted on the stem and caused to turn therewith by the use of a tapered pin 34. The latch 33 engages a pad 35 on the under side of the end section I8 or I8a, to hold the central section H3 in closed position. Underneath the hood 32a on the stem 32, reposes a torsional spring 36 coiled about the stem. One end of the spring is seated in the stem as clearly shown in Figure 4 while the other end is seated in the cover end section l8 or 18a as best shown in Figure 3. Hence, the latch 33 is normally held against the lug 31 in engagement with the pad 35. The lug 38 acts as a stop in the opposite direction against'movement of the latch 33 more than sufiicient to disengage the latch and the boss. Thus, the central cover section is firmly locked in closed position but may be opened readily when desired.

The locking members 30 are protected from the heat by the lower projecting portion of the firedoor D. There is, therefore, no danger of injury whenthe locking members are manipulated to lock or un-lockthe central cover section.

From the foregoing it will be recognized that the invention provides a compact arrangement of a stoker and firedoor permitting the use of smaller firing openings than heretofore employed with stokers of the class described, while at the same time affording ample space for hand firing as well as access to the firebox'and without obstructing the delivering of fuel from the riser conduit onto the distributor plate. The arrangement of the parts has the further advantage of protecting the roof or cover of the riser conduit and its locking members from the heat of the fire.

I claim:

luIn combination, a furnace having an upstanding wall with a'firing opening therein for hand and power feeding'of fuel therethrough into the furnace, a riser conduit of a stoker mounted exteriorly of the furnace and having a mouth in communication with the lower portion of the firing opening, and a firedoor mounted across the upper portion of said firing opening operable to permit hand firing of fuel, said riser conduit having a detachable roof, said roof being divided longitudinally into laterally spaced end sections rigidly secured to the riser conduit and a movable central section, each of said sections being arranged with their front edges adjacent the lower end portion of said firedoor, said central section being hinged at its rear edge to swing away from said firedoor and when in such position leaving an opening between the end sections extending forwardly to the firedoor whereby when the latter is opened the aforesaid opening between the end sections communicates with the firing opening in the furnace backwall.

2. In combination, a furnace having an upstanding backwall with a firing opening therein for hand and power feeding of fuel therethrough into the furnace, a riser conduit of a stoker mounted exteriorly of the furnace and having a forwardly opening mouth in communication with the lower portion of the firing opening, said conduit including a roof the highest point of which is at'a level above the lower half of the firing opening, said conduit having a recess in its upper portion adjacent said backwall of the furnace and extending below the upper half of the firing opening, and a firedoor mounted on said backwall closing that portion of the firing opening above said roof and arranged with its lower edge received in said recess, said roof being divided longitudinally into fixed end sections and a movable central section, said central section being hinged at its rearward edge to swing away from said firedoor and when in such position leaving an opening between the end sections extending forwardly to said recess whereby when the firedoor is opened the aforesaid opening'between the end sections communicates with the firing opening in the furnace backwall, said'firedoor comprising a pair of door members movable laterally away from each other in a plane substantially parallel to said backwall and arranged with each door member adjacent a fixed end section of the roof.

3. In combination, a furnace having an upstanding backwall with a firing opening therein for hand and power feeding of fuel therethrough into the furnace, a riserconduit of a stoker mounted exteriorly of the furnace and having a forwardly opening mouth in communication with the lower portion of the firing opening, a distributor plate disposed in said mouth and extending into the lower portion of thefiring opening, a distributor head positioned at the rearward side of said plate in front of the fuel stream advancing upwardly in said riser conduit and being spaced outwardly from said backwall, said riser conduit including a roof extending over said distributor head at a height above sufficient to permit the advancing fuel stream to freely assume an angle of repose and spill forwardly onto said plate and a firedoor forming a closure for that portion of the fi'ring opening above said roof, said riser conduit having a recess in its upper portion adjacent said furnace backwall receiving the lower edge of said firedoor, the lower marginal edge of the firedoor being positioned in said recess at a level below the front edge of said roof and above and forward of said distributor head.

4. In combination, a furnace having an upstanding backwall with a firing opening therein for hand and power feeding of fuel therethrough into the furnace, a riser conduit of a stoker mounted exteriorly of the furnace and having a forwardly opening mouth in communication with the lower portion of the firing opening, a distributor plate disposed in said mouth and extending into the lower portion of the firing opening, a distributor head positioned at the rearward side of said plate in front of the fuel stream advancing upwardly in said riser conduit and being spaced outwardly from said backwall, said riser conduit including a roof extending over said distributor head at a height above sufiicient to permit the advancing fuel stream to freely assume an angle of repose and spill forwardly onto said plate, a firedoor forming a closure for that portion of the firing opening above said roof, said riser conduit having a recess in its upper portion adjacent said furnace backwall receiving the lower edge of said firedoor, the lower marginal edge of the firedoor being positioned in said recess at a level below the front edge of said roof and above and forward of said distributor head, said roof comprising rigid end sections and a central section hinged at its rearward edge to swing away from the furnace backwall, and latches engaging the central section with the end sections, said latches being disposed adjacent the highest point of the roof at a level above the lower marginal edge of the firing opening.

5. In combination, a furnace having an upstanding backwall with a firing opening therein for hand and power feeding of fuel therethrough into the furnace, a riser conduit of a stoker mounted exteriorly of the furnace and having a mouth in communication with the lower portion of the firing opening, said conduit having a recess in its upper portion adjacent the backwall of the furnace, a firedoor mounted on said backwall forming a closure for the upper portion of the firing opening and arranged with its lower edge received in said recess, said riser conduit having a detachable roof the forward edge of which defines in part the rear portion of the edge of said recess and lies adjacent the lower portion of the firedoor, said roof being divided longitudinally into laterally spaced end sections rigidly secured to the riser conduit and a movable central section, said central section being hinged at its rear edge to swing away from said firedoor and when in such position leaving an opening between the end sections extending forwardly to said recess whereby when the firedoor is opened, the aforesaid opening between the end sections communicates with the firing opening in the furnace backwall.

6. In combination, a furnace having an upstanding backwall with a firing opening therein for hand and power feeding of fuel therethrough into the furnace, a riser conduit of a stoker mounted exteriorly of the furnace and having a mouth in communication with the lower portion of the firing opening, a, firedoor mounted on said backwall forming a closure for the upper portion of the firing opening, said conduit being provided in its upper portion adjacent its delivery end with a detachable roof, said roof being divided longitudinally into laterally spaced end sections and a central section, each of said sections at their forward edges being adjacent the lower portion of said firedoor, said central section being hinged at its rearward edgeto the riser conduit to swing away from said backwall.

'7. In combination, a furnace having an upstanding backwall with a firing opening therein for hand and power feeding of fuel therethrough into the furnace, a discharge conduit of a Stoker having a forwardly opening mouth in communication with the lower portion of the firing opening, a distributor plate disposed in said mouth and extending into the lower portion of the firing opening, a distributor head positioned at the rear of said plate and spaced outwardly from said backwall, said discharge conduit having a recess in its upper portion adjacent said furnace backwall, a firedoor forming aclosure for the upper portion of the firing opening, the lower edge of said firedoor being received in said recess, the upper portion of said discharge conduit rearward of said firedoor forming a detachable roof comprising fixed end sections and a movable central section disposed between the end sections,

the lower marginal edge of the firedoor being positioned between said backwall and the forward edge of said roof and at a level below the forward edge of said roof, said movable central section being hinged to the discharge conduit to swing rearwardly from the delivery end thereof.

ALFRED HUTTON. 

